Nightmare on Pekopon Lane
by CraftyKeronian
Summary: Am I the frog who dreams of being a butterfly or the angel who dreams of home? Am I really awake?
1. Intro

Intro

This is a story that is based on a story that my friend is writing. I'm mostly writing this for my own enjoyment, but I figured I would set it out for anyone else who would want to read it. Because this is coming from a separate story, there may be some confusing elements. I did that on purpose. If you are confused about an event or a detail, feel free to ask me about it. Be warned, there are suggestions of CannonxOC and probably OOC. If you don't like it, move along. I have most of the story worked out in my mind, but you can make some suggestions if you really want :) Thanks!


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Can you two come in here?" Kululu asked. I walked towards the room he was in, next to the lab. Giroro was right behind me.

"Take a look at this. What do you see?"

I frowned. "I see a snake…? I think." Giroro went pale. "Oh crap. That's not just a snake. That's a nightmare viporian! Where the frog did you get that?!"

"Kukukuku! HQ sent it to me. They want me to try and create an antidote to the _horrible poison _it produces. Apparently, one of the other platoons ran into a nest of them and are now dying or dead. Fascinating, isn't it? _Kukukuku!_"

Now I turned pale and stepped back from the hissing reptile. "Wait, _dead? _A-are we s-safe? And what d-do you want us for?"

"Nothing special, I just wanted you to see it. Ah, good. Keroro, you're here." Keroro, the leader of his platoon, walked into the room, holding a new Gundam model. "Hey you guys! This is no time to be slacking! There are models… I mean, there are battle plans to be made!"

"Uh-huh. I've heard that before." Giroro muttered. "What is it this time?! Take over the hobby shop?!"

"Well, I don't have anything yet…"

"Sir, if I could make a suggestion?"

"What is it, Kululu?"

"Kukuku! This is a very simple one. Come over here." Keroro walked to Kululu's chair, and with amazing speed Kululu placed a helmet of some sort on each of our heads. You'd think that I would have learned by now to get out of the lab when I could.

"Kya! What is this for?! Get it off me!"

"Don't worry. I'm just downloading a copy of your brainwaves for easy access and monitoring. Hold still. Ku!" Kululu grabbed a little instrument and poked Keroro in the arm with it.

"Ow! What the frog was that for?!"

"You'll see. I wouldn't move if I were you, though. _Kuku!_" Kululu got up and sealed the door behind him before any of us could even register that he left.

Giroro ran to the door and pounded on it with everything two feet of frog alien could muster. "Kululu! Let us out! NOW! _This is not funny! _I know you're planning something and we want nothing to do with it! _Let us out!_" When no answer came, Giroro walked over to the corner where I was sitting and sat next to me. "Don't worry. We'll be fine. Kululu likes to hurt people, not kill them. He's probably just trying to scare us." He handed me a small knife anyway.

"Where the hey have you been hiding that?" I smiled a bit, which is probably what he was aiming for. Giroro may be a soldier and acts tough, but he seems to have a soft spot for me. I tried to take the helmet off my head, but it was stuck tight.

"Hyperspace storage. And I don't think that helmet is coming off anytime soon. He probably put some kind of super glue in it to keep it on."

"Crap."

Meanwhile, Keroro was pulling at the helmet with all his might, desperate to get it off. "Kululu! As your commanding officer, I _order _to get this stupid thing off of me! _Gero_! Get off of me, you stupid helmet!" An intercom buzzed and Kululu's stupid, chilling laugh poured through. "I'm sorry sir, but it can't come off until the tests are finished. You'll just have to deal with it."

Giroro snarled. "When I get out of here, Crazy Eyes, HQ is going to be the _least _of your worries!"

I looked around, and my eyes fell on the tank the snake was being held in. It was a truly terrifying sight. The viporian was midnight black, had a hood like a Pekoponian cobra, and eyes that looked like the creature could understand us. Understand us and knew we were crunchy and good with ketchup.

As I gazed warily at it, I realized that there was a strange silence in the air. I saw movement in the corner of the tank. "…G-G-Giroro… please tell me I'm not seeing what I think I am." Giroro looked at the tank and froze. Sure enough, the glass panel of the tank was lowering. The snake seemed to almost chuckle. Keroro, being a man of action, did the first thing that came to his mind: he screamed and fainted. "Hey, this could work. M-maybe it'll choke on Keroro and we can get out," I said, trying to sound upbeat. "If only. Stay back, Moriri."

I clutched the knife and almost choked as the viporian uncoiled itself and slithered toward us. Faster than thought itself Giroro was in the air, a small pistol flashed into his hand. "Hyaaaaaa!" He let out a battle cry, desperately trying to keep its attention on him and not me. Unfortunately, the nightmare viporian is not called that for kicks. Faster than the speed of fear, it had Giroro immobilized in its coils and bit him on the arm. "Moriri! Ru-" Giroro's eyes rolled up into his head and he slumped over. The monster released him and slid over to the unconscious figure that was Keroro and bit him on the leg.

I held the almost pitiful knife in front of me and prayed to every god, spirit, and being that I could think of, tears running down my face, fogging up my goggles. The viporian slid casually to me, avoiding the swing of my weapon. It bit me, and my hand was on fire.

Everything went black.


	3. Chapter 2

Thank you for your reviews! It means a lot to me that people want to read this :)

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Chapter 2

It's dark. I can't feel my hand. There's a weight on my chest. Slowly, I opened my eyes, goggles askew. Kululu was sitting on me, typing at a small personal computer on his lap. "_So, _you're awake, huh? It's about time. Kukuku!" I pushed him off and tried to get up. I managed to get into a sitting position, but then I became so dizzy I fell back to the floor. "Hey, the helmet's gone," I croaked. Kululu snorted. "You weren't wearing a helmet. _Kuku_."

I heard a groan and turned my head. Keroro was beginning to stir, his head also devoid of a helmet. Giroro was nowhere to be found. "Where's Giroro?"

"Gone. Said something about 'can't stand this place' or something to that effect." My head drooped and my shoulders slumped. I turned to the viporian's tank and was shocked to see that it was gone. "Hey! Where did that big snake go? The nightmare viporian?" Kululu laughed at me. "_Kukuku! _What kind of creature is that? I've never heard of it." I gulped and choked back tears. "Stop trying to f-fool me! I know you got one from HQ. You just told me you did! Where did Giroro go? Why are we okay? You said the viporian was p-poisonous, but we all seem to be alright! What is going on?" I looked at my hand where I was bitten and froze. There was no bite mark, nothing to suggest that I had been injured at all. "Why d-don't I have a b-bite mark on my hand…?"

Kululu sighed and talked slowly to me, like one would to a particularly slow child. "There is no such thing as a nightmare viporian. You were never bitten. I don't even know what you were doing in my med lab! Kukuku! You seem to be fine, and you don't belong in here, so get out. _Pojito_!" He pushed a button on his laptop and I fell through a trap door. Screaming as I fell through the dark, I had the strange sensation of falling _up _into a flash of sunlight. I found myself in the Hinata's backyard. Even though they had moved to America, it will always be their house.

Rubbing my sore tail, I looked up and saw Giroro sitting by a fire. "Giroro! Am I glad to see you! I was worried when I didn't see you in the lab. Do you know what Kululu is up to? He denied having that horrible snake and… and… can you hear me?" All this time, Giroro never looked up or even acknowledge my presence. He just sat there on a cinder block, staring into the fire. "Giroro? Are you okay?" I walked over to him and tried to shake his shoulder, but my hand went right through him. I gasped and looked at my hand in horror. What was going on?! I tried to touch Giroro again but to no avail. Panicking, I reached out to his tent and was able to touch it, causing it to rattle. Giroro looked up when the tent rattled. "Who's there?!" He stood up and looked around, not even noticing me. I blinked back yet more tears. "Giroro, it's me! C-combat Medic Moriri! We're friends! Why won't you an-answer me?" I sniffed as Giroro sat back down. "Must have been the wind…" he grumbled.

I started crying, no longer able to hold it in. I left the backyard and wandered down the street. The neighborhood was surprisingly empty. I hugged myself as I turned the corner, my mind racing. What happened with that snake? Why were we even at the Hinata's house? We had our own house/base. Why can't Giroro see or hear me? It suddenly dawned on me that I haven't seen Hikari around either. Where was she? She should have been back by now. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't notice that there was someone else walking down the street towards me. I bumped into the person and fell to the ground with a yelp.

"Whoa! Sorry about that, Little Blue." It was Saburo, which confused me even more. "Saburo! What are you doing here? I thought you were in America." He smiled. "Just visiting Kululu. What about you? Why are you just wandering the street?" I pushed my goggles up and rubbed my face. "Bad day…" I mumbled. Saburo crouched down to my level to help me up. "Well, the only place to go is up, so it must get better soon." He pulled me up and opened up a door.

I jumped at this. Why was there a door in the middle of the street? I didn't bother asking about it. Saburo looked down at me while I just stared dumbfounded at the street portal with a bemused look on his face. "You are going in, aren't you, Moriri?" I continued to stare at the door for a few seconds, until I realized he was talking to me. "Hmmm? Oh, why not? Things can't get any stranger today. Before I go, have you seen Hikari around at all?" Saburo frowned. "Who's that?"

"Hikari! Half human girl, tall, orange hair, extremely hyper? Also known as Sergeant Aoioio, a little orange Keronian? My best friend and adopted sister?" Saburo shrugged and apologized for not knowing her. I turned back to the door, almost in a daze. "That's ok. If you see her, tell her I'm looking for her." With that, I stepped into the door and into a strange, dim meadow. The door disappeared behind me. I was trapped.


	4. Chapter 3

sorry this took so long! life has a tendency to happen... and school has started which means i have work again! i'll try to write more often...

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Chapter 3

In a medical lab in an underground base, on three beds were three Keronians. All of them had a helmet of some sort on and were hooked up to machines that read out their vital signs and brainwave activity. The green frog alien was the first to wake up. He stretched and winced as pain shot up his arm. "Gero! What happened? Why does my arm hurt? And where is that_ froggin' huge snake!_ I can't feel my leg… Oh, frog…! I remember now!" He tore back the sheets to see bandages on his leg where he had been bitten. Keroro's eyes welled up with tears, and a few trickled down his face before he slapped himself on the cheeks. "Get a hold of yourself! Now is not the time to cry! Something is going on here and I need to find out what! Kululu! Where are you?!" A door opened, and someone came into the room. It was not Kululu, but Angol Mois, the Lord of Terror and Keroro's "niece".

"Oh, Uncle! I was so worried about you!" Mois ran to Keroro and crushed him in a hug. "Ooof! Lady Mois, I'm fine. I promise! Where is Kululu?"

"He's in his lab working on an antidote for Moriri, has been for hours. You could say, burning the midnight oil?" Mois stood up, smoothed her nurse's outfit, and grabbed a clipboard that was hanging at the foot of Keroro's bed. "What are you doing, Lady Mois?" Mois looked up with her usual cheery smile on her face. "I need to write down some things, Uncle. What time you woke up and everyone's vitals, things like that."

Keroro turned and looked down the row of beds next to him that contained Corporal Giroro and Combat Medic Moriri. They were sleeping, but not a restful sleep. Both had pained looks on their faces and were sweating. He could hear them mumbling in their sleep. Giroro kept whispering "Where is she?" and Moriri would hiccup, as if she had been crying and whimper. "H-h-he can't hear me, can't even feel me. Where is H-H-Hikari?" Keroro was worried about his childhood friend and the leader of the platoon that joined them on Pekopon. He watched them for a bit, until something registered with him. "Wait, what do you mean 'an antidote for Moriri'? What about Giroro? Why am I okay?" Mois's face darkened and tears could be seen in her eyes. "Well, you see, Uncle-"

The door to the lab opened and Kululu came in. His cheeks were a bit sunken and he was pale. He stumbled a bit as he walked to a chair by Keroro's bed. "So, leader, you are awake? Kukuku! That's good…" He eased into the chair and drank from a cup that he was holding. "To explain: HQ sent me a nightmare viporian and asked me to create an antidote. I succeeded, of course, but I needed to test it. That is where you three come in. I gave you the antidote _before _you were bitten to see if it could be used as a sort of vaccine. _Kukuku_! The looks on your faces was priceless! Ah, but the vaccine didn't work, at least not as well as I wanted. Your dreams were less intense, but I needed to give you additional antidote. Not as much as the old man over there though." He jerked his thumb at Giroro. "Kuku! He was the control of the group, you were an experimental variable, and she was the control female, and just fun to scare."

Suddenly, one of Kululu's lenses cracked, a sign of extreme emotion. "I should have known, should have used someone else…" Keroro's mouth gaped open. "Gero! Not to make light of the situation, but are you _sorry?! _Dude! You're NEVER sorry for what you do to us! Why the change of heart?" Kululu sat in silence for a moment. "_She _loves her…" he whispered, almost too quietly to be heard. Keroro gave him a blank look, then one could almost see the light bulb above his head as he put two and two together. "_Gero! _Miss Hikari! Oh, frog! I forgot about her! I know you've got a soft spot for her, but… She's going to kill you, you know right? Why should you have picked someone else?" Kululu's other lens cracked. "Kuku! I forgot about her immune system. She must have picked up a bug of some sort, early enough that she doesn't know she's sick. The poison and the bacteria have reacted and combined into something else. The bacterium protects the poison from the antidote and the poison protects the bacterium from the antibiotics. I have to find a cure that takes them both out at the same time." Mois piped up, "You could say, double whammy?"

Kululu looked up as the door opened up yet again. The remaining two members of the Keroro platoon came in, followed by Koyuki. Tamama glared at Mois and ran to Keroro. "Mr. Sergeant! I was so worried!"

"Not to worry, Private! I'm fit as a fiddle!" Keroro smiled, trying to appear strong for his subordinates. Dororo bowed to Keroro. "I'm glad to see you awake, my friend." He turned and looked at the other frogs in bed. "I just wish I could say the same for them…" Koyuki sat next to him. "Will they be okay?" she asked. Concern was on her face. Dororo walked between Giroro's and Moriri's bed, stroking their hands with his thumbs. "From what I have heard from Kululu, Giroro will, but it is still touch and go with Miss Moriri." Everyone sat in silence while the machines continued to beep, showing that the two unconscious frogs were, at least, still alive.

"Gero! Kululu! I just realized that this stupid helmet is still on my head! Can you please take it off now or do I have to keep it on?" Kululu wordlessly reached up to the helmet and typed in a code on the back. The helmet came off with a little "pop." Keroro sighed and scratched his head. "Ah! That does feel better!" Kululu set the helmet down on a nearby desk and walked up to the I.V. that was connected to Giroro's uninjured arm. "Kuku! This is almost empty. He should be waking up soon."

As if on cue, Giroro shot up out of bed screaming, eyes wild. "I can't find her! She's gone! Why can't I find her?" He screamed this over and over, thrashing about in the little bed. Dororo hung onto his friend's arms trying to hold him down. "Giroro! You must calm down! Who is gone? Let us help you!" He turned to Koyuki, who had sprung up when Giroro started thrashing. "Miss Koyuki! Help me hold him!" She nodded and calmly walked over and pinned him using a ninja technique.

Giroro struggled, then began to settle down. His eyes cleared and he looked around as Koyuki released him. "Dororo? Koyuki? What are you doing here? Actually, where is here? What's going on? My arm in numb and I had such terrible dreams…" He closed his eyes to stop the tears. "Maybe if you told us your nightmare you'll feel better! You could say, talk therapy?" Mois suggested. Giroro only shook his head. "I would rather not." Tamama walked over to his bed. "Corporal, you kept saying 'She's gone.' Who is 'she'?" Giroro sat in silence, his face steadily growing redder and redder, despite his natural skin color. Finally, he whispered, "Moriri."

Everyone's face grew dark with this revelation. Giroro noticed this and panicked. "What?! What happened? Where is she? Is she okay?!" Dororo put his hand on his friend's shoulder to calm him. "Do not worry my friend. She is right here, but it depends on your definition of 'okay'…" Dororo turned Giroro's head until he was looking at Moriri. Giroro's heartbeat shot back up and he felt a pit in his stomach. "…What happened?" Keroro cleared his throat. "Kululu, perhaps you could explain it best…" Kululu got up and stood in front of Giroro.

"The situation is this, Corporal," he began, taking Giroro's helmet off in turn.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I looked around the meadow, trying to get my bearings. It was very quiet here and quite unnerving. The lighting was difficult to describe. It wasn't daylight, it wasn't night, and it wasn't twilight. It was light and dark at the same time, like in a dream. I started walking. For how long, I don't know. It could have been days, hours, or mere minutes. As suddenly as I came here, I came to the edge of a forest. I could see another figure, a Keronian like me! I raised my hand up and called out to her- I believe it was a her, anyway- and she mirrored me. As I got closer, I could see that she was very similar to me. Light blue skin, white cap… wait, she even had the cross I had on my belly. I must have come to a mirror. Why there was a mirror in the middle of a meadow by the woods, I don't know. I couldn't tell you anything about what happened today.

I studied myself in the looking glass when my reflection smirked. "Look what the cat dragged in! Little Miss Goody-Two-Shoes! I was wondering when you were going to show your sorry tail around here." I jumped back with a yelp. I must be going crazy! I'm talking with myself? The other me snorted. "No, you are not crazy and I'm not you. Not exactly. I am your reflection, your other half, everything you are not. I am Irirom." Wow, apparently my other half is a snarky mind reader.

"Irirom, huh? That's original. Where are we, oh Reflective One?" Irirom laughed. "Oh! So she _does _have a sarcasm bone! We are in the Between, the world between worlds. And by the way, I don't read minds. What you're thinking is written all over your face. One of the reasons you're such a bad liar." I felt my face flush. I know it's not good or healthy to hate yourself, but I think an exception can be made in this case.

It was my turn to snort. "Well, Not-Me, why are we here? If you are my reflection, why aren't we truly reflected? We both are smart and have the same color scheme. You just seem to be me with a bad attitude." Irirom put one hand on her hip and wagged her other finger at me. "I am your reflection, not your negative. Intelligence is intelligence. It is how we choose to use it and how often that determines how 'smart' we are. Well, I guess I am your negative in one way. Our hearts are the inverses of each other. I am your demon and you are my angel."

I stood there and stared at her. Demon? Angel? I would almost say it couldn't be true, but I did know Private Tamama and at least _met _Momoka… But I'm a good girl! Surely I don't have personal demons. Right…? Irirom smirked again. "Everyone has their demons. Where there is light there is also shadow. Two sides of the same coin. The one that is in control determines one's deeds and personality. You are no different." I dropped to my knees, trying to take it all in. This can't be real! I numbly sat there for a time. How long, I don't know. Time didn't really seem to have a meaning here.

"You still haven't answered my other question. Why are we here?" Irirom pointed with one claw and seemed to tear a hole in the space in front of us. Wait. Claws? Since when did she have claws? "We are here because _you _don't belong out _there._ I have come to take my rightful place as the dominant faction. And I've always had claws. Comes with the demon package. You were just too stupid to notice. Look here. You'll see that I'm right."

She pulled the tear back, almost like a curtain. I got closer but didn't even notice that I was walking. I looked into the space and saw the Hinata's back yard. I saw Giroro sitting in front of a fire by his tent roasting sweet potatoes. There was a woman with him, a Pekoponian. She had dark pink hair and looked like Natsumi. She was holding hands with Giroro and laughing. I felt my heart tear in two. Irirom smiled a wicked grin, leaned into my ear, and whispered. "You have been gone for 10 years. The man you love never loved you and even forgot you. He has always loved _her _and she him. Your 'friends' don't notice or care that you are gone." The scene shifted to the underground base. Keroro was in the war room laying out another plan that was sure to fail.

I heard him do a head count. "Hmm. Only four of us here? Wasn't there more of us?" Dororo appeared in a puff of ninja smoke with tears in his eyes. "Keroro! How could you forget me? Again! I was the first one here!" Keroro did a double take. "Ah! Dororo! You are the last to arrive! And now that we are all here, we can begin." Irirom let the tear fall back into place and the scene was gone. Tears ran down my face, pooling in my goggles as an overwhelming sadness sunk in. "W-what about H-H-Hikari? Surely my own s-sister still remembers me?" The demon laughed. "Sister? You have no sister! You don't even have a friend!" She tore space again and I saw Hikari as a Keronian and myself fighting. There was no sound and the color was grayscale and grainy, like an old Pekoponian film reel. I could see words were exchanged, but what exactly I could not tell. Suddenly, Hikari slapped me and stormed off, changing into a human. Irirom closed the tear once more.

"Do you believe me now? You are worthless, alone, and don't belong in that world! Give in to the darkness, the sadness, and let me take my rightful existence!" She raised her claws as if to strike me down. I stood there with a glazed look on my face, too dumbfounded to react.

I pulled myself together. "You can't f-fool me. I don't remember that fight, so it must not have happened. Y-you are lying to me!" I looked into the eyes of my so-called demon, mentally daring her to do her worst. She laughed, and it was such a bone-chilling laugh. I couldn't help but take a step back. "Just because you don't remember it doesn't mean it didn't happen. I can only show you the past and the present, so at some time or another your precious Hikari hates your very existence! Face it! You have nothing. Give up, little dreamer. Give up and give in to me!"

She brought her claws down, but I was already off running. I opened the door in front of me and ran into the darkness. No matter how hard I stuffed my fingers into my ears, I couldn't get her last words out of my head.

"Run, little dreamer. It doesn't matter where you go. I will always find you. I am always with you!"


	6. lost momentum

sorry guys...

my passions tend to come and go in waves, and the Sgt. Frog story writtting wave has passed. don't worry too much! i have this story saved in dropbox and on my computer, so it's not going anywhere! maybe i'll write more someday, and when i do i'll post all the chapters again.

thank you for reading my little story, and i hope you liked it!


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